By John Garces/sports editor

The Mitchell Report, released Dec. 13, dropped a bomb on the pitcher known as The Rocket, Roger Clemens.

The report, headed by Sen. George Mitchell, was designed to pull the curtain back on the rampant steroids problem in baseball.

Besides the more widely known sluggers, such as Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, the biggest name heavily involved is Clemens.

The long-time fan favorite is the man many consider the greatest pitcher of the modern era, if not of all time.

Clemens, in his second stint with the Yankees, has won 354 games in his career, but now is the subject of eight-and-a-half pages of Mitchell Report evidence.

Most of the facts were supplied by former trainer Brian McNamee.

McNamee, a close friend of the 45-year-old pitcher, worked closely with Clemens when he played for three different teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and New York Yankees. McNamee claims he routinely shot Clemens in the arm with HGH and several types of anabolic steroids, including testosterone.

The pitcher, who maintained his innocence in a defiant interview on 60 Minutes, claims McNamee was simply injecting him with anesthetic lidocaine and an assortment of B-12 vitamins.

At a tense press conference the next day, Clemens played an audio tape of a phone conversation between McNamee and himself, claiming that the phone call proves his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt, though many still have their doubts.

In a perfect world, Clemens is one of those guys who would normally receive the benefit of the doubt, but not anymore.

The situation is turning into something out of a made-for-TV court show. Clemens has filed a defamation of character suit against McNamee. McNamee countered by filing a defamation of character suit against Clemens.

To his credit, though, the six-time Cy Young Award winner has said he will make every effort to clear his name when he meets with Congressional officials Feb. 13.

McNamee will also speak.

Of course, no one knows if either will tell the truth.

Clemens, of course, is hardly the only loser in the Mitchell Report, and, the aftermath will produce no winners, either.

The real losers, however, are the fans of a sport that has long since outlived its once-proud moniker of America’s Pastime.

When it comes time for the Congressional hearing, maybe the truth will finally come out.

Or, more likely, the dwindling number of baseball fans in America will get a pre-Valentine’s Day heartbreak.